The system is very abstract, fortunately I am also.

Chapter 436 The priest hoped the little boy would leave his church.
After a brief silence, the people in the office finally couldn't help but lower their heads and chuckle, their shoulders shaking.

Bai Bufan breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling like he had escaped a disaster.

Fortunately, it seems that Aunt Ding Sihan's faith is not very loyal, otherwise she would definitely not have reacted this way.

That's fine.

Because if he were in front of those truly devout believers who regard the doctrine as gospel, he would have already caused trouble.

Damn it, it's all Lin Li's fault.

I was clearly trying to explain that hellish joke to him.

Now look what's happened! He's the one making a fool of himself in hell, while I'm the one living in fear.

Bai Bufan turned his head, ready to unleash a torrent of abuse, but noticed Lin Li slightly frowning, standing up, making a perfectly executed holy sign with both hands in front of his chest, looking at him with a solemn and dignified expression, tinged with a compassionate condemnation:
"Bai Bufan, how could you utter such contemptuous, vulgar, and blasphemous words in the Lord's temple, to the glory of the Lord, to the only holy Son who was born to redeem us—Jesus Christ?"

Bai Bufan: "?"

Damn you.

When did you join the church? Traitor!
Lin Li took a deep breath and began to speak in an elegiac tone:
"Lord, please forgive this lost lamb, whose heart is blinded, whose mouth speaks wildly, and who has committed the grave sin of blasphemy against the holy name—"

"His folly and ignorance led him to commit a grave error, just as it is written, 'You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.' What he called the crucified machine was actually Your holy cross, which You willingly endured immeasurable suffering to save the world—"

“Lord of boundless mercy, Your love is vast and deep. We beseech You to look upon this poor sinner. I know that a faint sliver of conscience still remains deep within his soul, but it has been corrupted too much by the filth of the world. For the sake of Your infinite mercy, we beseech You to cleanse his tongue, forgive his rebellion, and extinguish… Your wrath—”

Bai Bufan: "(；゜ロ゜)?"

Lin Li, why are you so skilled at this?

Have you even memorized the entire Bible?

However, Bai Bufan later realized that it made sense.

After all, there's a certain logic that "when a man completely respects women, it means that he knows all the ways to disrespect women, and that's already disrespecting women." So, isn't it normal for Lin Li, who respects Satan the most, to be familiar with the Bible?

reasonable.

Before Bai Bufan could even complain, a loud voice suddenly rang out from outside the corridor: "Good!"

Father Qiu appeared at the doorway, following the sound.

A deep joy spread across his face. In a room filled with boisterous young people, to suddenly hear such a standard, compassionate prayer that directly quoted scripture and conformed to Catholic doctrine, especially since it was a prayer pleading for a "lost lamb," was like a clear spring in the noisy world!

Ding Yu also said that his niece and her classmates had no religious beliefs, but now it seems that this is not the case.

"well said!"

Father Qiu couldn't help but exclaim in praise again, his voice filled with obvious excitement, and he quickly stepped forward.

Before Lin Li and Bai Bufan could make a move, Chen Yuying, Ding Sihan, and Qu Wanqiu tacitly left behind the table at the same time, stepped forward, and subtly blocked the priest and the two of them.

Lin Li and Bai Bufan: "..."

This...this is the taste of distrust again.

The two exchanged a glance and shrugged, finding it somewhat amusing.

Why don't you believe in yourself?
Could it be that this priest is so excited to talk to us that the two of them will go up to him and ask, "Father, do you like 0 children?"

How could that be? That's incredibly disrespectful.

Although Father Qiu was somewhat surprised by the girls' reaction, his attention was not on them at the moment.

He stopped, his expression solemn and gratified, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Li, this fellow traveler:

"So young, yet possessing such profound understanding and boundless compassion! My child, your prayers are powerful, filled with faith in the Lord's grace and love for lost souls!"

Lin Li: ☉v☉.

Nods obediently.

Bai Bufan lowered his head; he couldn't listen anymore.

The priest opened his arms as if to embrace the youth's piety, nodded slightly, and continued to express his emotion with a joy at witnessing the passing down of faith:
"It is because of this profound love that the Lord willingly endured suffering for us! Your words, like the warm winter sun, shine into this room and warm our hearts! To hear you make such a loving and forgiving plea for your companions is truly a blessing from the Lord..."

He rattled off a long string of religious prayers, his eyes filled with sincere approval and strong encouragement.

Finally, he clasped his hands together in front of his chest in a prayerful gesture, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Li's eyes, his voice filled with emotion, conveying complete agreement and blessing:

"Amen!"

Lin Li's eyes lit up, and he finally responded: "A-Qian~"

Bai Bufan looked up instantly, his mouth beating his brain: "A grapevine~"

Although Lin Li was somewhat surprised that he could find an angle to start a fight, he was a good brother, and his motto was that if you dare to start a fight, Bai Bufan would immediately follow suit!
Lin Li looked at Bai Bufan with satisfaction: "Ah Nen~ Ah Nen~ The green shoots have just sprouted~"

Bai Bufan was also getting into the swing of things OvO: "The snail is carrying that heavy shell on its back~"

Lin Li OvO: "Climbing up step by step~"

Their expressions gradually brightened, and they pointed at each other after singing a line.

The priest was stunned.

At this moment, a sense of bewilderment, as if an emotion had reached its peak and then suddenly collapsed into nothingness, swept over him. He was even somewhat confused as to whether he was in reality at this moment.
Wait, what are those two doing?
When his vision refocused and his mind began to work, he realized the singing had stopped, and Lin Li and Bai Bufan were pointing at him expectantly.

Father Qiu: "?"

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do now?
What is this? Have we reached the part about writing your own lyrics?

Reading Lin Li's lip movements, Father Qiu subconsciously, with lingering clerical inertia, uttered, "Amen?"

Lin Li's eyes were full of praise, and he nodded encouragingly before continuing the song: "Ah Qian!"

Bai Bufan immediately responded to the group chat: "Two orioles~"

"Hee hee hee haha, it's laughing at it~"

"The grapes are far from ripe~ What are you doing up here now~"

"Ah Huang~ Ah Huang~ Oriole, don't laugh~ It'll be ripe when I climb up it~ It'll be ripe when I climb up it—"

While Chen Yuying, Qu Wanqiu, and Ding Sihan covered their faces or mouths and huddled together, laughing until their bodies trembled, the first half of the song had already been performed by the two of them with deep emotion.

Father Qiu: "(゜▽゜)?"

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do right now?
Lin Li: "Father Qiu, your singing is quite good."

Bai Bufan: "Keep going, keep going, we still have half to sing."

Lin Li: "OK, Father, come on, you start."

Father Qiu looked at the two men, who were full of interest, and froze on the spot like a little boy who had been invaded by the devil and the priest.

"No, no, stop singing now, I... I need to wait, I need to take a break, I have something to do—"

He lowered his head, one hand flailing weakly, the other unconsciously pressing against his pale lips, his words incoherent.

Then, like a puppet on a string, he mechanically turned around and staggered out of the office.

“Father,”

At the office door, Ding Yu, who had finished laughing and was about to return, bumped into Father Qiu, who looked utterly lost.

After calling out but receiving no response, Ding Yu waved her hand in confusion: "Father? Father Qiu? Father?"

"N-nothing..." Father Qiu didn't even look at Ding Yu, waved his hand, and walked in another direction as if in a daze.

Ding Yu suddenly looked into the office. There were three girls squatting on the floor laughing, and two boys sitting at the desk, intently organizing documents and occasionally turning to exchange opinions. She… felt a little confused.

"What happened?"

……

Ding Yu's question remained unanswered.

Even when faced with her own niece's questions, she only glanced up at the office and said to her, "Auntie, you can check the surveillance footage when you're in a bad mood," but refused to recount what had just happened.

They just say things like "not human", "posting on TikTok will be labeled as suspected AI-generated, please be careful", "as expected of a dog", and "unspeakable" and other obscure and difficult-to-understand words.

Ding Yu wasn't insistent, and Lin Li was alright, but she was mainly afraid to get to know the boy named Bai Bufan too well, fearing that he might say something outrageous again.

It would be terrible if I couldn't help but laugh then, because next week for Christmas, they're not just giving out eggs, but also rice, flour, and oil.

If we can't receive this, the very meaning of Catholicism will collapse.

The tidying up was supposed to be a ten-minute task, and although there were some minor hiccups along the way, it was quickly finished.

"Auntie, everything that's been tidied up is on the table. Is there anything else you need help with?" After the five of them left the office, Ding Sihan called out to Ding Yu at the door of the activity room.

"That's all." Ding Yu waved to the five of them. "Go eat! I've transferred the money for the milk tea to you, go buy it yourselves!"

"it is good!"

"I don't think this is good, because then Bai Bufan and I might not be able to drink this milk tea."

"I think Lin Li is right."

"Lin Li, Yingbao told me to shut up. Bai Bufan, just shut up."

Lin Li frowned: "Ding Zi, falsely conveying an imperial edict is punishable by death."

Bai Bufan frowned: "Why didn't I even have a threat? Don't I have any dignity at all?"

Amidst laughter and conversation, the five returned to the temple, where the believers were still singing, and each one of them was truly a talented singer.

“Every time I listen to it, I have a different feeling. This time, I think it’s not as good as the three of us singing ‘The Snail and the Oriole’ together,” Lin Li commented.

“Indeed,” Bai Bufan agreed.

Ding Sihan, Qu Wanqiu, and Chen Yuying quickened their pace, trying to distance themselves from the two and pretend they didn't know them.

However, the three of them suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Because they saw the third member of the trio at the door.

Father Qiu, who had just staggered away from them not long ago, was now standing by the holy water pool in an almost obsessive manner.

He did not symbolically dip his finger in water and make the sign of the cross on his forehead and chest like ordinary believers or tourists.

Instead, he leaned forward, facing the pool, while his hands were deeply immersed in the holy water, scrubbing vigorously, his eyes closed, and he seemed to be praying devoutly.

The volunteer who had been gently explaining how to use the holy water now stood aside, looking confused.

Ding Sihan, Qu Wanqiu, and Chen Yuying: "..."

They had experienced the holy water pool.

They naturally knew the role the holy water pool played within the sect.

Why did Father Qiu feel that his heart was broken? It's so hard to guess (*▽*).

A believer, also drawn by the priest's unusual behavior, couldn't help but ask the volunteer acting as an administrator, "Father... what's wrong? Do you need our help?"

The administrator snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the priest, shook his head helplessly, and replied in a low voice:

"I'm not entirely sure either. The priest just came up from behind like this, muttering things like 'needs purification,' 'needs confession,' 'demons and heretics have invaded the church,' and 'the little boy is terrifying'—"

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, the passerby's mouth dropped open in surprise, and his eyes immediately became tense.

"No, no, no! Everything is fine here! I guess... maybe it's the priest, um..." The volunteer quickly waved his hand upon seeing this, but paused, unable to find a more suitable word, and could only say:
"The priest may not be feeling well."

Father Qiu, who had been repeatedly purifying himself, then withdrew his hands from the holy water, causing a small splash.

He still seemed somewhat dazed. Noticing the questioning glances from the administrator and believers, he forced a smile, whispered "It's nothing," and slowly began to walk toward the confessional.

He needed to repent to the Lord. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Chen Yuying and the other two walking ahead.

The priest was taken aback.

Immediately, he tilted his body and head to one side, cautiously peering behind the three people.

When the priest actually saw the devil and the demon in person, he smiled with relief and despair.

Originally heading towards the confessional, he abruptly changed direction and walked straight towards the church door.

"..."

Ding Sihan: "What did he go to do? Is he coming home for dinner?"

Qu Wanqiu: "I suspect the office might need to be disinfected with holy water."

Chen Yuying: "There's no need to doubt it, it's inevitable."

"Why are you three stopping? What's wrong?" Lin Li and Bai Bufan, who were following behind, asked with some confusion when they saw the girls whispering to each other.

"It's nothing." The three girls looked at the two innocent faces and shook their heads with smiles.

……

"The rest is up to you two."

As is customary at dinner, the three girls put down their chopsticks first, leaving the task of cleaning up to Lin Li and Bai Bufan.

"OK." The two of them had no objection and continued eating.

"Go to the restroom." Without waiting around, Ding Sihan wiped her mouth with a tissue and looked at Qu Wanqiu and Chen Yuying.

"Okay." Qu Wanqiu and Chen Yuying both nodded.

Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu got up, but after leaving their seats, they noticed that Chen Yuying hadn't followed. Instead, she was frowning and rummaging through her backpack, so they asked her with some confusion:

"Yuying, what's wrong? I have some tissues if you didn't bring any."

"No, I can't find my lipstick." Chen Yuying shook her head, looked up and explained, while carefully searching around her seat, but still couldn't find it.

Did I leave it at the church? But I didn't really open my little bag much while I was at the church.

Surely it couldn't have been stolen, my phone and earphones are still here.

Upon hearing this, Lin Li frowned and looked up at Chen Yuying with concern: "Where's your lipstick?"

"How could you be so careless as to lose it like that? Luckily, I brought the lip gloss I bought last week with me. You can borrow it for now."

Chen Yuying, who was searching in distress, paused.

Then the girl slowly raised her head and looked at Lin Li, who had a concerned expression on his face.

Lin Li opened his palm, and there lay the lip gloss from last week.

When Chen Yuying caught the hidden smile in Lin Li's eyes, she blinked.

Okay, I realize my conclusion was a bit arbitrary.

I must have been robbed.

Moreover, the identity of the thief is obvious.

That thief is so vicious.

Qu Wanqiu and Ding Sihan, who were standing, didn't think much of what was happening. They just clicked their tongues a few times and looked at Lin Li, who was so thoughtful as to carry lip gloss with him.

"Hmm? Take it and use it first, just return it to me tonight." Seeing that Chen Yuying didn't take it, Lin Li waved his hand, looked up and met Chen Yuying's gaze, which was now filled with a slight smile and reproach.

Chen Yuying sighed with a helpless smile, reaching out to take it: "Can I not?"

Lin Li clenched his hands instantly, clutching the lip gloss back, and shook his head firmly: "Then I won't lend it."

Looking at Lin Li, who turned his head away and refused to meet her gaze, Chen Yuying would have wanted to grab Lin Li's arm and bite him hard, leaving a ring of teeth marks, if there weren't so many people around.

"Give it to me." Chen Yuying sighed and stretched her hand forward a little more.

"Then you need to make it clear first, are you going to pay me back tonight or not?" Lin Li needed a promise.

Chen Yuying looked at Lin Li with a mixture of helplessness and amusement. After a long while, she finally nodded in resignation, "Alright~"

"Here, use it as you like." Lin Li immediately stuffed the lip gloss into Chen Yuying's hand, his smile bright and carefree.

Chen Yuying held the lip gloss in her hand, clenched her fist, and lightly punched Lin Li. She glared at him irritably before following Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu to the restroom.

Wuhu, the plan is in place.

Lin Li was satisfied and lowered his head to prepare for a pleasant meal.

"Bufan, wasn't there a chicken leg in my bowl just now? How did it turn into a bone?" Lin Li frowned.

Bai Bufan: "No way (chews), you must be mistaken (chews), why are you looking at me (chews), I picked this chicken leg up from the ground (chews)."

"No, we're already cleaning up the leftovers. What are you grabbing for? If you want some, just take it. Go ahead and eat it," Lin Li said, unable to contain his laughter.

"Those that are simply stolen taste better."

"That's true."

The girls returned quickly, and Lin Li and Bai Bufan also finished their meals.

The five people got up and left the restaurant.

"Here's your lip gloss back." As they walked out of the restaurant, Chen Yuying handed the lip gloss to Lin Li.

"Heh," Lin Li stared straight at her, letting out a cold chuckle, and refused to take it, "I don't want this."

Chen Yuying didn't insist. She just smiled and pursed her lips, which she had just touched up, and said softly, "But you still have to go back to school with Wanqiu and Bufan tonight, right?"

“Or,” she said, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief, “are you going to abandon them and come back with me in Uncle Zhuang’s car? I can’t guarantee my dad won’t suddenly decide to pick me up, or that we’ll bump into each other downstairs at my house.”

"I have my own way." Faced with Chen Yuying's "threat," Lin Li simply smiled.

A tiny threat, laughable.

……

After dinner, as planned, the five of them went to a nearby shopping mall to browse around. Except for Ding Sihan, the other four bought a small gift.

Then they returned to the back door of the church, handed the gift to the aunt under the Christmas tree, and participated in the gift exchange activity.

"Why don't we look for Yingbao's lipstick now? If it's not in the restaurant, it must have fallen here," Ding Sihan suddenly suggested after putting away the receipt.

"No need." Chen Yuying suppressed the urge to look back at Lin Li and shook her head at Ding Sihan. "It's a waste of time. If you miss the movie, just pretend I don't want it and throw it in the trash."

"A rich woman is a rich woman, so generous," Ding Sihan exclaimed.

"Indeed," the trash can itself agreed.

In the movie theater, the five people sat in a row, with Lin Li still embracing his wife on both sides.

The lights dimmed, and an advertisement was playing on the screen.

Lin Li stared at the screen, but his thoughts had already drifted to the slightly pursed soft lips of the person beside him—he was referring to Chen Yuying on his right, and Bai Bufan on his left, who should get lost.

The method used at dinner time refers to the present moment.

Lin Li turned his head, bringing his cheek and ear close to Chen Yuying without warning, along with his questioning voice:

"Squad leader, what did you just say?"

Chen Yuying was taken aback, her lips parted slightly, and she looked at Lin Li blankly: "I didn't say anything..."

"Oh."

Lin Li nodded.

Something cold poked her left hand. Chen Yuying looked down and saw it was her stolen lipstick.

"This..." Chen Yuying wanted to make a few jokes, but she was interrupted before she could even open her mouth—

"Squad leader, what did you just say?"

As the words drew closer, so did Lin Li's cheeks.

Chen Yuying blinked.

Now it's hard not to understand.

A faint blush spread across Chen Yuying's cheeks as she looked to the other side. Ding Sihan on her right was leaning towards Qu Wanqiu, whispering to her.

Noticing Chen Yuying's gaze, she leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Chen Yuying shook her head.

Ding Sihan gave him the middle finger.

Chen Yuying didn't need to turn around to guess that Lin Li next to her was winking at Ding Sihan, and he was probably the one who would give her the middle finger first.

However, Lin Li then returned to a normal distance and leaned back in his movie theater seat.

Soon, the movie officially began.

Chen Yuying found it difficult to focus on the movie for a moment. She subtly shifted her gaze and noticed that Lin Li's face was far away from her because he was talking to Bai Bufan.

They must be talking.

You can't...

Chen Yuying felt that it was inappropriate for boys to do that kind of thing (へ╬)!

I was overthinking it, because Lin Li immediately leaned closer to me again and said that familiar line:
"Squad leader, what did you just say?"

Humans and machines abound, and they only know how to say this one sentence.

It seemed he absolutely had to hear an answer this time, and Lin Li patiently maintained a perfectly measured posture as he waited.

But in reality, many things only have zero times or countless times.

Once you take the first step, lifting your leg again, there's no obstacle left.

Although Chen Yuying felt her heartbeat was uncontrollably louder than the background sound effects in the movie theater, and her emotions were churning, in fact, the hesitation only lasted for a very brief second.

Her fingertips quietly gripped Lin Li's sleeve, as if she had grabbed a piece of driftwood in a corner where no one could see her. Then, she quickly tilted her chin up slightly.

The lip gloss has a moist and slightly cool feel, and its weight is as light as a feather brushing against spring water.

"That's what you're talking about..."

Chen Yuying quickly withdrew, her self-deceptive explanation barely audible, like a whisper.

But even in the dim light, Lin Li could still see the shimmering tears in her eyes, a mixture of shyness and indulgence.

The lingering softness and sweet fragrance on his cheeks felt more soothing to Lin Li than church hymns.

Great.

Turning to the side, Lin Li, amidst the interplay of light and shadow on the curtain, precisely grasped Chen Yuying's hand, which was hidden beneath her sleeve.

Chen Yuying was also satisfied. She gazed tenderly at Lin Li's profile for a while, then turned her attention back to the movie, until—

"Squad leader, what did you just say?"

Chen Yuying: "..."

It's only been a minute.

(End of this chapter)